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I’ve been a fan of Chocolate Hair/Vanilla Care since it’s launch in 2010. Rory and her ex-husband adopted Zoe (aka “Boo”) in 2007, and because of her lack of knowledge about black hair care, Rory did her due diligence in learning everything she could. Needless to say, 3 years later, Rory has come a long way. Her styles are simply amazing and are ‘adult’ friendly. My sister often visits her site to get new style ideas.

Here are a few of my favs:

In an interview with the Loop21, Rory discussed the challenges in maintaining her daughter’s hair:

Rory: I think the biggest challenge in the beginning was teaching my daughter the importance of routine. Hair care is not a choice rather a necessity that requires a commitment from both us—as her parents and from her as the child. Our first priority was to establish a routine where she wouldn’t throw tantrums and look at hair as “torture.” Now that the routine is established, my biggest challenge—outside of keeping it healthy—has been instilling that sense of pride in her natural hair. In a society that values long, straight hair it will be something that we will be working on for years to come. Right now, however, she seems to have a really strong sense of self and great deal of love and pride for her natural hair. I can only pray that starting early will allow that to become deeply rooted in her identity such that it will counter the trials she will face in years to come. In the future, teaching her to care for her own hair will also be a challenge, but one to which I look forward.

Loop 21: What kind of feedback have you received so far in regards to your website?

Rory: I have received nothing but support from everyone. Hair blogs are a dime a dozen these days, so I don’t feel that I’m providing really unique information other than the personal experience and perspective that I have, both with regards to hair as well as with regards to trans-racial adoption. I really feel that being me, as flawed as I am, has made other people feel more comfortable stepping out of their comfort zone when it comes to hair care. Black women have been more than supportive. I honestly started the site for adoptive and foster parents, but I’ve found that Black women make up the majority of my community. I take that as a huge compliment and appreciate all of the support and feedback that they have provided over this past year.